Recent Accounting Standards

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2014

Accounting Changes and Error Corrections [Abstract]

Recent Accounting Standards

Recent Accounting Standards

In April of 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued final guidance that raises the threshold for a disposal to qualify as a discontinued operation and requires new disclosures of both discontinued operations and certain other disposals that do not meet the definition of a discontinued operation. The guidance is intended to reduce the frequency of disposals reported as discontinued operations by focusing on strategic shifts that have or will have a major effect on an entity’s operations and financial results. In addition, the guidance permits companies to have continuing cash flows and significant continuing involvement with the disposed component. The FASB’s amended guidance is effective for our annual reporting period beginning January 1, 2015, however, early adoption is permitted. We do not expect the adoption of the guidance to have a significant impact on our consolidated financial statements.

In July of 2013, the FASB issued amended guidance that resolves the diversity in practice for the presentation of an unrecognized tax benefit when a net operating loss carryforward, a similar tax loss, or a tax credit carryforward exists. This new accounting guidance requires the netting of unrecognized tax benefits ("UTBs") against a deferred tax asset for a loss or other carryforward that would apply in settlement of the uncertain tax positions. Under the new standard, UTBs will be netted against all available same-jurisdiction loss or other tax carryforwards that would be utilized, rather than only against carryforwards that are created by the UTBs. The new standard requires prospective adoption but allows retrospective adoption for all periods presented. The amendments were effective on January 1, 2014, and the adoption of the guidance did not have a significant impact on our consolidated financial statements.

In March of 2013, the FASB issued amended guidance that resolves the diversity in practice for the accounting for the cumulative translation adjustment upon derecognition of certain subsidiaries or groups of assets within a foreign entity. The amended guidance requires that when a parent entity ceases to have a controlling financial interest in a subsidiary or group of assets within a foreign entity, the parent is required to release any related cumulative translation adjustment into net income in instances when a sale or transfer results in the complete or substantially complete liquidation of the foreign entity in which the subsidiary or group of assets had resided. Additionally, the amended guidance clarifies that the sale of an investment in a foreign entity includes both (1) events that result in the loss of a controlling financial interest in a foreign entity and (2) events that result in an acquirer obtaining control of an acquiree in which it held an equity interest immediately before the acquisition date. In these instances, an entity is required to release the cumulative translation adjustment into net income. The amendments were effective on January 1, 2014, and the adoption of the guidance did not have a significant impact on our consolidated financial statements.